LOUISVILLE — As the U.S. House of Representatives prepares to vote on an immigration enforcement bill, the stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is letting lawmakers know he does not like the proposed legilsation.
The House is expected to vote today (Dec. 15) on the The Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (H.R. 4437). The bill calls for more U.S. Border Patrol agents, mandatory database checks of employees’ eligibility to work, expanded expedited removal of illegal aliens and more sheriffs along the border to help enforce immigration law.
However, the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the PC(USA)’s General Assembly, urged Congress in a letter dated Dec. 14 to vote against the House bill and “work toward legislation that will truly relieve” America’s immigration problems.
“This is not an anti-terrorism bill, not a border-security bill, not an enforcement bill,” Kirkpatrick emphasized in the letter.
He said the proposed bill “fails to accomplish the reforms badly needed in immigration law that will provide for a means of providing a needed workforce, stronger enforcement of law and humanitarian treatment of individuals within the United States.”
The text of Kirkpatrick’s statement:
In June 2004, the 216th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) approved a number of resolutions (see below) calling for comprehensive immigration reform. H.R. 4437 goes against all of these resolutions. We are particularly concerned with provisions that:
Place religious groups and private citizens at risk of criminal prosecution as “smugglers” if they aid or transport an undocumented immigrant. Attached is a current case where college students were indicted for taking three sick men to see a doctor.
Classify undocumented people working in the U.S. as “aggravated felons,” subjecting them to imprisonment and depriving them of a hearing prior to deportation. Where will the money come from to arrest and imprison approximately 11 million people working in needed occupations throughout the U.S? This is not part of the bill.
Disrupt the economy by not creating legal channels for needed workers to work lawfully. Deputize local police forces to act as immigration agents. This lessens security in the U.S. as communities become fearful of police who are acting outside their training and knowledge and enforcing federal, not local law.
This is not an anti-terrorism bill, not a border-security bill, not an enforcement bill. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has strong policy towards further immigration reform legislation — this bill fails to accomplish the reforms badly needed in immigration law that will provide for a means of providing a needed workforce, stronger enforcement of law and humanitarian treatment of individuals within the United States. We strongly urge you to vote against H.R. 4437 and work toward legislation that will truly relieve America’s immigration problems.
###
Resolution Calling for a Comprehensive Legalization Program for Immigrants Living and Working in the United States.
Approved by the 216th General Assembly (2004)
The 216th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A. ) does the following:
1. Approves the Resolution Calling for a Comprehensive Legalization Program for Immigrants Living and Working in the United States, and call upon the members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its governing bodies to take the following actions:
a. Advocates the establishment by law of a comprehensive legalization program for undocumented persons already living and working in the United States.
b. Advocates the reform of current immigration policies and procedures to ensure a more timely and humane process, with special attention to family reunification and to those persons who have been waiting for their immigrant visas and for naturalization.
c. Adamantly opposes the exploitation of any and all workers as a violation of the humane and just treatment due to all children of God.
d. Joins with interfaith and secular organizations that are working for comprehensive legalization.
e. Directs the Office of the General Assembly (OGA) to communicate the above actions to the president of the United States, members of the United States Congress, the United States Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS), and the national and international ecumenical organizations to which the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) relates.
|
